Former NBA cheerleader suing over alleged low pay

Lauren Herington was a cheerleader for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Claiming she earned between $3 and $5 per hour for her work, the former cheerleader is suing the organization.

Herington filed the suit last month in a federal court in Milwaukee under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America", the former Bucks cheerleader explained her rationale for the suit:

"They hold you to such a high standard but yet that's not what they pay you," Herington said. "So it is disheartening and they expect you to put in so much time and effort for it."

Herington claims she was paid $65 per home game while earning $30 for practices and $50 for team-sponsored special appearances. With the practice that goes into perfecting her routines, she's justified in assuming she earned well below the $7.25 minimum wage in the state of Milwaukee.

Sadly, that doesn't even begin to explain her situation, and the situations of other cheerleaders around the NBA today.

"They didn't pay for the haircuts, the nails, the tanning," Herington's attorney said. "We're dealing with women who are 19, 20, 21 years old. They really don't have the resources to pay for those things."

It's likely that the Bucks will find a way to settle this lawsuit, but it brings the working conditions of other cheerleaders to the forefront as the 2015-16 NBA season kicks off.

This isn't unprecedented around the professional sports world. Five NFL teams have seen suits filed against them since last year. In those cases, the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals settled. Suits against the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills are still pending.

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